White to move. How can white save this game?
rk4r1/1p2Qp2/p3pB1p/3b4/P7/4R1n1/2PKBq1p/8 w – – 0 1
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1. Be5+ Ka7 (Kc8 2. Qc7++)
2. Qc5+ b6
3. Qc7++
1. Qd6+
Branch 1:
1. … Kc8
2. Rc3+ Bc6
3. Rxc6+ bxc6
4. Qxc6+ Kb8
5. Be5+ Ka7
6. Qc7#
Branch 2:
1. … Ka7
2. Bd4+ b6
3. Qxb6#
1.Qd6+ Kc8
2.Rc3+ Bc6
3.Rxc6+ bxc6
4.Qxc6+ Kb8
5.Be5+ Ka7
6.Qc7#
—————-
1.Qd6 Ka7
2.Bd4+ b6
3.Qc7+ Bb7
4.Qxb6+ Kb8
5.Be5+ Kc8
6.Qc7#
All I can see here is
1. Be5 Ka7 (Kc8?? 2.Qc7#)
2. Bd4 Kb8
And, now, white can draw by repetition with Be5 followed again by Bd4. To try to win this, I think white has to investigate 3.Qd6:
3. Qd6 Kc8
4. Rc3 Bc6
5. Rc6
The only hope I can see. Taking at f2 is pointless since black’s queen is reborn on h1 and will protect the c6 bishop at that point, so, if white is break through, there is no time to waste:
5. …..bc6
6. Qc6 Kd8 (Kb8 7.Be5 Ka7 8.Qa6#)
Now, white has a decision to make- go ahead and force the repetition draw again with Qd6 followed by Qc6 check (if black plays to c8), or by Qc6 and Qc7 (if black plays to e8 and e7). So, with a draw in hand, can white force a win by taking at a8? Let’s see:
7. Qa8 Ke7
I don’t think it matters if black plays to d7 here, but Kc7 might be a bit worse for black: [7. …Kc7?! 8.Qa7! Kd8 9.Bf2 Ne4 (nothing better, I think-black needs to use white’s king to block the queen’s bishop’s path to b6) 10.Ke3 h1Q 11.Qa8 Ke7 12.Qg8 and white stands a bit better having a bishop for a couple of pawns, but I don’t know how easy this would be to win for white]. Continuing:
8. Qb7 Kf8
Again, I am not sure that it matters if black plays the king to e8 here, but I have not done an exhaustive analysis of it either, so I might be missing something here. Continuing:
9. Qc8 Ke7
10.Qc7 Ke8 (Kf8?? 11.Qd8#)
11.Bf2 h1Q (Ne4+ transposes?)
12.Qc8
Hard to say what is best for white here- he can take at g3 now, but I find it hard to believe that not getting the rook might be better:
12. ….Ke7
13.Qg8 and white is clearly better, but I doubt this is a decisive edge. Clearly I have missed the right beginning. I will go back to the drawing board.
In my previous comment, I looked at Be5 and Bd4 as a beginning, and could draw by repetition as white, and could gain a slight edge as white in some lines (up a piece for two pawns), but nothing truly decisive. So, let’s look at the other beginning check Qd6:
1. Qd6 Kc8 (Ka7 2.Bd4 b6 3.Qb6#)
2. Rc3 Bc6
3. Rc6
Now I can see why I went astray earlier. Sheesh! Take that d8 square away, and black’s king is toast. In my previous line, this attack failed because the black king was never forced to b8 since the bishop had to return to f6 to check the king at d8, and could not do so because of the queen at f2. Continuing:
3. …..bc6
4. Qc6 Kb8
5. Be5 Ka7
6. Qa6#
1. Qd6+ (a) Ka7
2. Bd4+ b6
3. Qc7#
1. … (b) Kc8
2. Rc3+ Bc6
3. Rxc6+ bxc
4. Qxc6+ Kb8
5. Be5+ Ka7
6. Qc7#
Be5+ Ka7 (Kc8 Qc7#) Qc5+ b6 Qc7#
Be5+ Ka7 (Kc8 Qc7++)
Bd4+ kb8
Be5+ 1/2
Qd6+ (Ka7, Bd4+ b6, Qxb6++) Kc8
Rc3+ Bc6 (Qc5 Rxc5)
Rxc6+ bxc6
Qxc6 Kb8
Be5+ Ka7
Qc7++
be5-bd4 perpetual, if anything other than ka7 then mate with qc7.
Yancey you must be drinking the vodka again.
try Qd6+ Kc8, Rc3 leaving the B to cover d8
There isn’t a black pawn on a2 — but! — there is one on h2 instead, which is just as lethal for the second player. Accordingly white must check until mate is achieved:
1.Qd6+ Kc8 (or Ka7 2.Bd4+ then mate next)
2.Rc3+ Bc6
3.Rxc6+ bxc6
4.Qxc6+ Kb8
5.Be5+ Ka7
6.Qxa6 mate.
Alas! I am late for the solution.A quiet move on white’s part threatening sure mate on next move would be suicidal not because of …. h1=Q but because of …. QxR+ followed by … Nf5+ winning queen and spoiling all plans.
I object to last move of anonymous 6Qxa6# since 6Qc7# is available without killing anything.Use violence only if needed.
Anonymous,
My weaknesses are wine, tequila, Scotch- in that order. However, I wasn’t drunk on this problem. I was way too focused on setting up a discovered attack on the queen at f2 rather than thinking about a quick mate.
1Be5 Kc8 2.Rc3 Bc6 3.Qc7#
1Be5 Kc8 2.Rc3 Bc6 3.Qc7#
1.Be5,Kc8 2.Rc3Bc6 3.Qc7#